The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, has said the Commission will mobilise over 1.4 million ad hoc staff, largely drawn from the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), for the 2027 general elections.
Prof. Amupitan disclosed this during a strategic courtesy visit to the NYSC headquarters in Abuja, where he led a delegation of National Commissioners, the Secretary to the Commission, directors, and senior aides.
The delegation was received by the Director-General of the NYSC, Brigadier General Olakunle Oluseye Nafiu, and members of the scheme’s senior management team at Yakubu Gowon House.
Reaffirming the critical role of corps members in Nigeria’s democratic process, Amupitan described the visit as “a mission of profound gratitude” to an institution he called indispensable to the success of elections in Nigeria.
He noted that corps members have consistently formed the backbone of INEC’s election operations since 1999, serving mainly as presiding officers and registration area officers across polling units nationwide.
According to him, the 2023 general election saw INEC deploy about 1.2 million ad hoc staff, with over 70%—nearly 850,000 personnel—made up of corps members and student volunteers.
Looking ahead to 2027, Amupitan said INEC would require 707,384 corps members for the Presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled for 16 January 2027, and another 707,384 for the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections fixed for 6 February 2027.
He added that thousands more would be needed for off-cycle governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun states, as well as bye-elections in Nasarawa, Enugu, Rivers, Ondo, Kebbi, and Kano states.
The INEC chairman praised corps members for their patriotism, discipline, neutrality, and digital competence, particularly in operating the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).
“In many states, corps members accounted for nearly 90% of Registration Area Officers and Presiding Officers. They protected the sanctity of the ballot across 176,846 polling units nationwide,” he said.
Amupitan also acknowledged the risks associated with election duties and assured the NYSC leadership that INEC was committed to strengthening insurance, welfare, and security arrangements for corps members deployed during elections.
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